“I welcome the acknowledgement by Arlene Foster in Killarney
today that our economy, community, and future, North and South, are interlinked
and interdependent.

“However, this cannot distract from the fact that Brexit
will be disastrous for all of Ireland. There is no good Brexit. Today was a
difference in tone, but not in policy.

“The DUP leader has said she is opposed to a hard border and
open to novel solutions.

“What is required is for the cross-community vote in the
north to be respected and for the North to have designated special status
within the EU. We cannot withstand exclusion from the single market or customs
union. That is the position of the majority in the North and the position of
the Dáil. That is the way forward.

“Words alone will not stop the damage of Brexit. Sinn Féin
is open to working with all parties to secure the future for which the people
voted for; that is a future in Europe, with the rights of citizens respected
and our economy protected.

“The DUP need to put the interests of all our
people before party, and set aside the Brexit blank cheque they issued to the
Tories as part of their supply and confidence agreement.”